Need New Headlights

[TangoJuliet]

It has gotten to the point that it looks like my lights arent even on at night (but they are). There is this light film or some type of deposit buildup on my headlights (not the bulbs) and they need to be replaced.

How do I go about getting replacement lights? I also want Xenon bulbs....is there anything special I would have to do to get them installed?

Also, does anyone live in NY (long island) that knows how to do it and can help me out or atleast tell me about a place that does it.

Pics:

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l36/skyynet/1025061212-03.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l36/skyynet/1025061212-02.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l36/skyynet/1025061212-01.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l36/skyynet/1025061212-00.jpg

 

[Cattlegod]

That is strange, do you live near some kind of salt repository or mine of some sort?

 

[TangoJuliet]

i used to live a couple miles from a beach.....now i live a little further away

 

[mwmorph]

ebay has cheap headlamp units.

To use xenon, aka High Intensity Discharge headlights, it is expensive, you need to buy a conversion kit, probably $3000$450 for a high quality kit to wire up to the harness, personally, i think money is redicilous to spend on a different color light and I would go with normal halogen.

 

[bmacd]

have you tried using a high-grit sandpaper to buff it out?

 

[TangoJuliet]

i saw a set on ebay for like $100-125 shipped for the pair. I have no idea how to install them or hook up the conversion kit.....how would i go about doing that?

 

[Fritzo]

Need New Headlights

Funny...I just told my wife the same thing!

 

[Ronstang]

I usually just sand them with 1500 grit sandpaper and then buff them out. Worked wonders on my Taurus headlights when they did the same thing.

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: bmacd
have you tried using a high-grit sandpaper to buff it out?

It looks like the film is on the inside on the lens....not the outside. I dont know how to take them off and open for that matter....I'm sure its not hard because that would be the way to replace the bulbs.....but I'd rather get a new set at this point.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: alkohoLiK
i saw a set on ebay for like $100-125 shipped for the pair. I have no idea how to install them or hook up the conversion kit.....how would i go about doing that?

the headlamp on mustangs come out with a couple of bolts and clips, very easy, undo the bolts and clips, disconnect the harness and bulb from the back, pop out the housing and put the new housing back in.

converting to hids is not hard, jsut expensive and i believe if ti aint broke, dont fix it.

Originally posted by: alkohoLiK

Originally posted by: bmacd
have you tried using a high-grit sandpaper to buff it out?

It looks like the film is on the inside on the lens....not the outside. I dont know how to take them off and open for that matter....I'm sure its not hard because that would be the way to replace the bulbs.....but I'd rather get a new set at this point.

heat gun or low heat in oven will allow you to seperate the celar plastic from the black backing and to clean the inside.

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: mwmorphheat gun or low heat in oven will allow you to seperate the celar plastic from the black backing and to clean the inside.

so once i take the headlamps out I have to put it in the oven to seperate the plastic from the backing....once its open I can clean it and sand it down? once that is done how would i seal the headlamp(s)?

have u done this before? if so, how long has it taken?

 

[SmoochyTX]

Originally posted by: alkohoLiK

Originally posted by: mwmorphheat gun or low heat in oven will allow you to seperate the celar plastic from the black backing and to clean the inside.

so once i take the headlamps out I have to put it in the oven to seperate the plastic from the backing....once its open I can clean it and sand it down? once that is done how would i seal the headlamp(s)?

have u done this before? if so, how long has it taken?

This is sad. Just buy some new headlamps already you cheapskate. It's a '99. Do you think the car won't have to have some parts replaced by this time already?

Not to mention, you already said when they're on you can't tell it. Safety hazard anybody? Sticking them in the oven? Just buy some new ones.

 

[oCxTiTaN]

dont waste your money on HIDs...just get some Sylvania Silverstar Ultras and call it a day.

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: oCxTiTaN
dont waste your money on HIDs...just get some Sylvania Silverstar Ultras and call it a day.

do i need any type of converter for those bulbs?

 

[Viperoni]

Any incandescent bulb with a coating that's not purely yellow (IE: blue, purple, green, etc) on the bulb will hurt your visibility. Silverstars, and apparently these new Silverstar Ultra's, are a waste of money.

Get a pair of Sylvania XtraVision's, which burn brighter and whiter than stock headlights, and you'll be set.
Also, either sand+buff or replace your headlight housings, mustangs and fords in general are known for oxidizing like that, and those are really your only two options.

 

[acemcmac]

I have the same problem on my 99 mustang, but mine is even worse. I have a brand new lamp on one side and the original on the other, so my car looks cross eyed. The headlamp assemblies are 100% sealed. Apparently, there's no way to clean that out. The OEM headlamp units run $300.

I've just resigned myself to getting a new car someday.

 

[Black88GTA]

Originally posted by: alkohoLiK

Originally posted by: oCxTiTaN
dont waste your money on HIDs...just get some Sylvania Silverstar Ultras and call it a day.

do i need any type of converter for those bulbs?

No, they just plug right in. Silverstars are very bright, but also quite expensive...and, more importantly, the bulb life expectancy of Silverstars is WAY lower than other bulbs. Read the fine print on the packaging and compare it with standard halogens before buying them.

I was going to suggest going out and picking up a bottle of plastic polish, but if the film is on the inside of the lenses, that won't work unless you pull the lenses off the housings. I fixed my Mustang headlights with plastic polish when they turned yellow and started losing transparency.

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: Black88GTA

Originally posted by: alkohoLiK

Originally posted by: oCxTiTaN
dont waste your money on HIDs...just get some Sylvania Silverstar Ultras and call it a day.

do i need any type of converter for those bulbs?

No, they just plug right in. Silverstars are very bright, but also quite expensive...and, more importantly, the bulb life expectancy of Silverstars is WAY lower than other bulbs. Read the fine print on the packaging and compare it with standard halogens before buying them.

I was going to suggest going out and picking up a bottle of plastic polish, but if the film is on the inside of the lenses, that won't work unless you pull the lenses off the housings. I fixed my Mustang headlights with plastic polish when they turned yellow and started losing transparency.

on amazon the Sylvania 9007XV Xtra-Vision Haolgen are about $11/each....is that really that expensive? I may just buy these and see how it looks. If I am still having problems with the lights I'll try the baking/sanding thing and if that fails I'll head to ebay for replacements.

btw: these are the correct lights?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de...encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance

 

[EarthwormJim]

Originally posted by: Black88GTA

Originally posted by: alkohoLiK

Originally posted by: oCxTiTaN
dont waste your money on HIDs...just get some Sylvania Silverstar Ultras and call it a day.

do i need any type of converter for those bulbs?

No, they just plug right in. Silverstars are very bright, but also quite expensive...and, more importantly, the bulb life expectancy of Silverstars is WAY lower than other bulbs. Read the fine print on the packaging and compare it with standard halogens before buying them.

I was going to suggest going out and picking up a bottle of plastic polish, but if the film is on the inside of the lenses, that won't work unless you pull the lenses off the housings. I fixed my Mustang headlights with plastic polish when they turned yellow and started losing transparency.

Best halogen bulbs bar none that you can get are Osram silverstars. They make them in pretty much any headlight bulb configuration that you need, so you don't need some special converter.

Sylvania is the US division of Osram. Osram silverstars are not to be confused with Sylvania silverstars though. There is no blue film just pure white, they are the brightest bulbs, and they last a long time.

You can get them off ebay.

As far as your headlights, that's just oxydation or something from the sun on the plastic. Get some rubbing compound and buff it out. My old BMW's headlights did that and I just polished it out. They looked brand new.

 

[MWink]

My uncle has the same car with the same problem. Plexus seems to help a bit.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: alkohoLiK

Originally posted by: mwmorphheat gun or low heat in oven will allow you to seperate the celar plastic from the black backing and to clean the inside.

so once i take the headlamps out I have to put it in the oven to seperate the plastic from the backing....once its open I can clean it and sand it down? once that is done how would i seal the headlamp(s)?

have u done this before? if so, how long has it taken?

It takes a couple hours. Once the lights are heated up, the glue gets runny and you can pry the clear plastic from the backing. Once you cand down the inside, you can then heat it up again, put both sides together with some black silicone gasket sealant and then it will be good as new.

I did this for my old sc300 when it fogged up after rains. Sanding the inside is the most time consuming part but otherwise, its not that hard, jsut take your time and make sure you dont get the runny glue everywhere(very messy if it does get everywhere)

Used SC300/400 headlamp assemblies are ~$200-300 each so imho its worth the time for me to do it.

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